New initiative launched to preserve cultural heritage in Asia

Representatives of 27 countries announced the Recommendations for the Asian Initiative for Cultural Heritage Conservation on Thursday.

The representatives, including government officials, scholars, diplomats, and conservators, participated in the Asian Dialogue for Cultural Heritage Conservation taking place in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday via online platform.

The recommendations said: "Asian countries shall work together to implement the Asian Initiative for Cultural Heritage Conservation so as to safeguard accomplishments of Asian civilizations, promote exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations, build consensus on Asia's development, and energize Asia toward innovation, using cultural heritage as a leverage to shape Asia's future, address risks and challenges through concerted efforts, and build a community with a shared future for Asia."

According to the recommendations, the countries will jointly build a cooperation platform to support Asian countries in conducting practical collaborations, sharing each other's work results so as to better address actual needs for cultural heritage conservation across Asia, and jointly developing a roadmap for future cooperation and exchanges, under the framework of the Asian Initiative for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

They will also jointly "safeguard accomplishments of civilizations", including joint archaeology, joint research of history and culture, joint conservation and restoration of monuments and sites, and collaboration to fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property, and support preservation and repatriation of illicitly exported cultural property.

Transnational World Cultural Heritage nominations among Asian countries is to be improved, together with experience sharing and technical cooperation with regard to nomination, conservation, management and monitoring of World Cultural Heritage properties.

The recommendations also encourage museums of Asian countries to collaborate in protecting immovable cultural property and exchanging exhibitions of cultural property, share experiences in digital preservation, presentation and use of cultural heritage, jointly set out technical standards, and work together to improve global dissemination of accomplishments in cultural heritage conservation made by Asian countries.

The countries also recommended to jointly promote sustainable development and young sector concerning cultural heritages.

"Value and spirit of Asian civilizations are invaluable properties left over by our ancestors," the recommendations noted. "Asian countries should uphold their responsibilities, share their resources, and work together to safeguard and transmit such cultural heritage properties for the benefit of generations to come."